Planet of Darkness: The PreEarth Saga
by Sanguine Quill
Summary: Another Riff/Mags fic, but this one centers on them before they left for Earth. Please R/R! Ch. 1: The Message- Riff receives an unnerving message, but what does it say?


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Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from the movie. I don't own the settings from the movie. But if anyone wants a broken lamp or crappy printer, I do own those.

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AN: Muahahaha. Made a deal that I'd post by Sunday. It's Sunday night, so I just made the deadline. Anyway, this is from Riff's POV and, in case the title didn't tip you off, takes place before the movie, on Transsexual. As always, be nice and review. Enjoy.

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Planet of Darkness: The Pre-Earth Saga

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Chapter One: The Message

It was deep into the evening, with the nocturnal moon a quarter of the way across the sky and the larger daytime moon far below the horizon. My long shift in the laboratory had just ended, and I walked eagerly down the hall towards the exit, thoughts of home flooding my mind and my stomach. Lab Assistants were only allowed lunch breaks if they could squeeze them in between errands, and it had been a very busy day; I hadn't eaten since morning. Wondering what she made for dinner, I grabbed my coat and reached to open the main door.

"Riff Raff, a messenger delivered this for you." The Lab's receptionist said, trying hard to sound indifferent. My hand dropped from the door and I turned around, puzzled. A message? For me? Who was it from? I never received messages. 

Then a sudden, paranoid worry leapt into my mind. Was something wrong? It wasn't Magenta. No, I would've been told right away if something happened to her. Wouldn't I? In a flash of near-panic, I grabbed the small red envelope the receptionist held out. It was marked with the royal insignia, which made a new kind of worry take flight. What could the royal family possibly want with me?

"Aren't ya gonna open it?" The receptionist demanded, forgetting her casual facade for a moment. I looked up at her curious face, then back down at the envelope. Licking my lips, I gently tore the flap and pulled out the note, reading it to myself silently.

"What's it say?" She interrupted impatiently. I ignored her, and reread it, bewildered. "Well?" 

"I have to go." Shoving the message back into the envelope, I rushed through the doors and into the cold night.

~*~

The street was dim and empty, but I could hear the hum of traffic from a few blocks away and beneath the sidewalk, the subway rumbled. Pausing on the corner, under the harsh, yellow glow of a streetlight, I pulled out the note again. There must have been some mistake. It wasn't for me. It had just been addressed wrong, or delivered to the wrong person.

_Riff Raff: #31127_

Laboratory Assistant

Royal Transsexual Science Coalition: Laboratory Twelve

But there it was, in formal black calligraphy. My name. My Lab ID number. It had been addressed and delivered perfectly. Miserably, I let out a deep breath, almost a groan, and ran my hands through my thinning, blond hair. 

"I could've read it wrong." I half-mumbled, half-prayed. Even as I pulled the note out of the envelope, though, I knew that wasn't true. Still, it was worth a try.

_Riff Raff,_

Your humble presence has been requested before the esteemed Board of Advisors, venerated counselors to the Throne. You are to report to their headquarters as soon as you receive this notice. The Board will be awaiting your arrival.

The words read identical to before, but I stared down at the message a moment longer, trying to uncover some hidden explanation. Why did the highest-ranking men and women outside of the royal family want to see me? There was no reason for it, because as much as I would've loved to think they'd taken special notice of my intelligence or efficiency, the chances of that happening were slim at best. I knew that I was smarter than most of my co-workers, but I'd never had the opportunity to prove that, and efficiency wasn't exactly something that earned any unique recognition. Why me, then?

Suddenly a chilling thought attacked my mind, sending out raging waves of fear to numb my limbs. Magenta and I. What if someone had found us out? Would we be called before The Advisors because of that? Technically, it wasn't even a crime, thanks to the Sexual Freedom Acts passed by a former Queen. But technicalities never stopped the government. What my sister and I had was still unaccepted, and I was sure The Advisors could find some way to punish us if they wanted to; they were powerful enough to skirt the law. But why would they even care?

They wouldn't, probably. No, with all the recent scandals in the palace they had more important things to worry about than a little incest between the workers. A ripple of relief washed over me and I pulled on my coat, shoving the message into the pocket. Hesitantly, I glanced in the direction of home, then turned the other way and, with a weary sigh, started off down the sidewalk, the message still burning in my mind.


End file.
